HPV and Cervical Cancer

A lot of people will wonder what HPV and Cervical Cancer have to do with domestic violence. Frankly it depends on your point of view. I've added the HPV/Cervical Cancer information to this website simply because, like being abused, I know how it feels.

In June of 2005 I went to my doctor for my regularly yearly pap smear, just like every year. The year before I had found out that my husband had been having an affair with a female Marine. After I found out I went for a full range of STD tests. In 2005, I went for my appointment thinking everything would be fine.

About a week later, I got a call from my doctor saying that my pap smear was abnormal. They found dysplasia on my cervix and wanted me to come in for a biopsy. Scared out of my wits I went. I found out that at some point I had contracted HPV from my husband. I was clean of HPV then, but because of it they found pre-cancerous cells on my cervix.

Two and half years and two pap smears later, I'm fine. My last two exams came back clean. I was one of the lucky ones. 3,870 women in the U.S. will die of cervical cancer this year. 11,070 women in the U.S. will be diagnosed with the most invasive type of cervical cancer this year.

What is HPV?

HPV, or Human Papillomavirus, is a sexually transmitted virus. It is passed through genital contact, and can also be passed through skin to skin contact. Most sexually active people have, or have had, HPV at some point in their lives. It often shows no symptoms and is harmless on it's own. HPV may also go away on it's own. However, some types of HPV can cause genital warts and/or cervical cancer. HPV types 16 and 18 cause about 70% of cervical cancers. HPV types 6 and 11 cause about 90% of genital warts.

Is HPV Treatable? How Can I Keep From Getting HPV?

HPV often goes away on it's own, but is not curable. You can reduce your risk of HPV by using condoms, although condoms do not eliminate the risk entirely, as HPV can be passed through skin on the genital's that condoms do not cover. You can also reduce your risk by having few sexual partners, and not having sex with people who have had a lot of sexual partners. The only known way of not getting HPV is by not having sex, or genital contact. You can also get an HPV test, especially if you are 30 or older. For more information on the HPV test, please check out The HPV Test.

What is Cervical Cancer?

Cervical Cancer begins in the lining of the cervix and most cases (70%) are caused by HPV types 16 and 18. There are two main types of cervical cancer, squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. About 80% to 90% of cervical cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, which are composed of cells that resemble the flat, thin cells called squamous cells that cover the surface of the endocervix. Squamous cell carcinomas most often begin where the ectocervix joins the endocervix.he remaining 10% to 20% of cervical cancers are adenocarcinomas. Adenocarcinomas are becoming more common in women born in the last 20 to 30 years. Cervical adenocarcinoma develops from the mucus-producing gland cells of the endocervix. Less commonly, cervical cancers have features of both squamous cell carcinomas and adenocarcinomas. These are called adenosquamous carcinomas or mixed carcinomas.

Is Cervical Cancer Treatable?

Not all women with pre-cancerous changes to the cervix will develop cervical cancer. For most women, the cells will stay the same or go away without treatment. The options for treating cervical cancer can vary depending on the stage and size of the cancer, and how far it has spread. There are three main methods of treating cervical cancer; surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.

On the old version of this site, I happily recommended Gardisil, the HPV vaccine from Merck. New information has come to light regarding the safety of the vaccine. I no longer will be recommending Gardisil until further testing and/or information is made available.

The best way to take care of yourself and your reproductive organs is to practice safe sex if you are sexually active and, I CAN NOT SAY THIS ENOUGH, visit your doctor regularly to get your pap smear!! An hour or so out of your life every year can SAVE YOUR LIFE!!!